Getting Started with Solana Wallets
How to set up Phantom, Solflare, or another Solana wallet. Basics of keeping your tokens safe.
What's a Wallet?
A crypto wallet stores your private keys - the cryptographic passwords that prove you own your tokens. The wallet shows your balances and lets you send transactions.
Popular Solana Wallets
Phantom - Most popular. Clean interface, browser extension and mobile app. Good default choice.
Solflare - Feature-rich alternative. Supports hardware wallets, staking, and NFTs.
Backpack - Newer wallet with xNFT support. Popular in the Solana community.
Setting Up Phantom
- Go to phantom.app
- Install the browser extension
- Click "Create new wallet"
- Write down your recovery phrase - 12 words that can recover your wallet. Store these offline, never share them.
- Set a password for daily use
Wallet Safety Rules
Never share your recovery phrase. Anyone with these words controls your wallet. Phantom, Spawned, and legit services will never ask for it.
Double-check addresses. Before sending, verify the first and last few characters match what you expect.
Start small. When using a new app or wallet, test with a small amount first.
Use hardware wallets for large amounts. Ledger and similar devices keep keys offline, much safer than browser wallets for significant holdings.
Connecting to Apps
When you visit a Solana app:
- Look for "Connect Wallet" button
- Choose your wallet (Phantom, etc.)
- Approve the connection in your wallet
The app can now see your address and request transactions. It cannot move your funds without each transaction being approved.
Funding Your Wallet
To use Solana apps, you need SOL for transaction fees:
- Buy SOL on an exchange (Coinbase, Kraken, etc.)
- Withdraw to your wallet address
- Wait for transaction to confirm (usually seconds)
Most actions on Solana cost less than $0.01 in fees.
Common Issues
"Insufficient funds" - You need SOL for fees, even to send tokens. Keep a small SOL balance.
Transaction failed - Network might be congested. Wait a moment and try again.
Lost recovery phrase - If you lose it and get locked out, funds are gone forever. No recovery option exists.
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